Imphal: Four Naga MLAs on Monday met with Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to discuss border issues, including the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the ongoing construction of a border fence along the Indo-Myanmar border.
The MLAs—Awangbou Newmai, Khashim Vashum, and Leishiyo Keishing of the Naga People’s Front (NPF), along with independent MLA J. Kumo Sha—asked the Governor to help find an “amicable resolution,” according to a Raj Bhavan communique.
This meeting comes as the United Naga Council (UNC), the region’s main Naga body, issued an ultimatum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The UNC is demanding a halt to the border fencing and the repeal of the FMR, which they claim is being abrogated. They warn that if their demands are not met, they will launch an indefinite economic blockade on national highways in the Naga hill districts.
The UNC expressed “deep concern and anguish” over the lack of consultation with indigenous communities affected by the fencing.
The Central government has already completed a 9.214-kilometer stretch of fencing near Moreh, a significant trade hub in Manipur.
The government plans to fence the entire 1,643-kilometer border, which spans across Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram. This project is estimated to cost around Rs 31,000 crore.